New to heart rate training

[GmanUK65]

200 miles in 5-7 hrs?
That's just not happening; not by a long shot!

How long does it take you to do 200 miles and what is your average in doing 200 miles?

 

[GmanUK65]

200 miles in 5-7 hrs?
That's just not happening; not by a long shot!

well!

 

[Rob3rt]

How long does it take you to do 200 miles and what is your average in doing 200 miles?

The 1st 200 mile of the 12 hour time trial record took ~7.5 hours. The national (possibly world?) record for a 100 mile time trial is 3:22:45, you are talking about riding at near this speed for twice the distance with a 7 hour 200 mile! It is unlikely you are going to do it, at least not in a year (never say never and all that...).

 

[michaelcycle]

Do you know of any other way of getting someone to help? Do bike shops do this service?

Some offer services like V02 Max testing and HR testing but they tend to be (relatively) expensive.

If you or a friend have a coded Suunto or Garmin HRM chest strap or uncoded Polar with a receiver then you could get a day pass for a gym which has Wattbikes or something similar. Then sync the strap to the Wattbike and do one of the fitness tests depending on your level of fitness (for example 3 minute aerobic if you are a beginner or a ramp test if you are fitter.)

http://wattbike.com/uk/guide/cycling_tests

It will also calculate your power zones.

 

[GmanUK65]

I may be

The 1st 200 mile of the 12 hour time trial record took ~7.5 hours. The national (possibly world?) record for a 100 mile time trial is 3:22:45, you are talking about riding at near this speed for twice the distance with a 7 hour 200 mile! It is unlikely you are going to do it, at least not in a year (never say never and all that...).

Fair enough. My expected calculation was way off the mark. Eventually (could take a while) I would like to try out the LEL which I've worked out would be to ride about 180 miles a day for 5 days. You wouldn't happen to know the average time on the saddle an LEL rider would be in a day?

 

[Garz]

I will need to ride at a much higher average to ride 200 miles in about 5 to 7 hours

I think half that mileage over that duration would be a realistic goal to be fair...

 

[Dusty Bin]

Ive tried to get my max HR by finding a big hill and riding it in a high gear but even this method I am not totally convinced it is my true max HR because when I run out of hill this still does not guarantee my max HR.

Nothing 'guarantees' your max HR. The best you can ever hope for is a close approximation. Having said that, it doesn't sound as though you are going hard enough on your hill test - don't deliberately ride in a 'high gear', just use a gear that enables you to be giving it 100% - and I mean 100% - by the time you get to the top.

An exact number is not important - because you will never know what the exact number is. Just use the highest number you record as a means of setting your training levels and they won't be too far out.

 

[The Jogger]

Can't recall disputing that, all I disputed was the arbitrary number aspect of your post! I agree that recording the recovery rate over a period of time can indicate gains or losses in fitness (however you would need to introduce a consistent test protocol to get anything close to repeatable measurements, given that Hr is very variable), what you won't get is an indication of absolute fitness.

I used the number as an example more of a ballpark figure.

 

[Crackle]

On a related note, there are a couple of medical studies, I'm not bothering looking for the link now, which used HR recovery (though I think this was amongst the untrained) as a predictor of future heart disease but the HR drop over a three minute period was quite low, again I can't recall the number but I'm sure if you Google it, it will be easy to find.

 

[uclown2002]

How long does it take you to do 200 miles and what is your average in doing 200 miles?

It's not something I've done or planning on doing. I did my first 100 miler last week and I'm in no hurry to do it again

But hats off to you for wanting to do 200 miles in a day.

 

[Garz]

It's not something I've done or planning on doing. I did my first 100 miler last week and I'm in no hurry to do it again

But hats off to you for wanting to do 200 miles in a day.

..and aiming for 5-7 hours!!

 

[Sittingduck]

200 miles @ 40mph...
Not bad for a morning pootle

 

[ianrauk]

200 miles @ 40mph...
Not bad for a morning pootle

Back in time.... for brekkie

 

[lukesdad]

Can't recall disputing that, all I disputed was the arbitrary number aspect of your post! I agree that recording the recovery rate over a period of time can indicate gains or losses in fitness (however you would need to introduce a consistent test protocol to get anything close to repeatable measurements, given that Hr is very variable), what you won't get is an indication of absolute fitness.

I used to do a fitness test years ago based on HR every couple of months. The criteria had to be exact to get a reliable result. From what Id ate and drunk and done the days before amount of sleep HR during sleep, waking heart rate, temp. ..... the list goes on.

 

[Dusty Bin]

HR doesn't really tell you very much in terms of fitness, except how fast your heart is beating. In simple terms, an aerobic limit test is probably the best way of gauging improving cycle fitness, ie your ability to hold a certain speed (or power) on a static trainer, for a certain time. If you can hold the speed for longer the next time you do the test, you can assume that your fitness has improved. Just need to be sure the turbo (or whatever you use) is set up in exactly the same way each time, with same tyre pressure, roller pressure, etc.